Power – Go Be Radiant

Today is Good Friday and it seems unfitting to call a day when Jesus was crucified on a cross after being severely beaten, “Good.” What Jesus experienced that day and what led up to it, epitomizes the concept of suffering, which we rarely, if ever, label as good. However, when we zoom out and see what God does after Jesus’ death on the cross, our perspective changes, doesn’t it?

God RAISED Jesus from the dead!

Romans 4 tells us:

^23 “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, ²⁴but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

Did you notice what verse 25 does? It gives a reason for Jesus’ death AND a different reason for His resurrection. His death was for our sins, however, His resurrection was for our justification.

Romans 5:1 gives us some additional insight, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,…”

What justifies us? Faith. Faith in what? In the resurrection!
According to the bible

It’s easy to believe that someone died but believing that someone was raised from death to life – that’s hard. Remember “Doubting Thomas?” He didn’t doubt Jesus died, he doubted that He was raised from the dead. See John 20:24-29.

Believing Jesus was raised from the dead requires faith – faith that the One who created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them, raised Jesus from the dead. This is the faith that was, and still should be, proclaimed.

Paul, in Romans 10, explains the message of faith that he and his companions proclaim:

⁸… “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^[e]

Not only does Paul speak of these things but notice what Peter does as he begins to preach the Gospel. Acts 1:21-22 stresses the need for finding someone to replace Judas, the betrayer, to “become a witness” of Jesus’ resurrection. There is no indication in the Bible that every apostle saw Jesus die on the cross, in fact, only John is mentioned by name. However, we do know that all of them saw Jesus after God raised Him from the dead.

^21 “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, ²²beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Acts 10:39-43 emphasizes what we just read in Acts 1.

³⁹“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

So as we think about “Good Friday,” let us remember that Jesus was crucified for our sins but He was raised for our justification. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, the apostle Paul writes that we would still be dead in our sins.

1 Cor. 15:17, ^“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”

Let us rejoice that our faith is NOT futile, that we are NOT still in our sins, for us who believe, because God raised Jesus from the dead and it is no longer we who live, but Christ in us!

Let us go be radiant, reflecting this truth as we celebrate Easter this Sunday. Wishing you a very joyful Easter!

I was speaking to a woman who has a couple of different, significant health issues. In the course of our conversation, she said, “I just need to touch Jesus’ cloak.” Her statement really impacted me. I could hear her longing for healing and her faith. It inspired me to study Luke 8:40 – 56.

Jesus has just returned from the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee, where he restored a demon possessed man.

A crowd is waiting there (likely in Capernaum) for Him and welcomes Him. A synagogue leader named Jairus, falls at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house. Why? Because his only daughter, a girl of about 12 is dying.

As I read this, I noticed something Interesting – Jesus doesn’t reply verbally, but we know He goes with Jairus because v. 42 says, “As Jesus was on his way…”

As we picture the scene before us, we know it’s completely crowded because the passage says the “crowds almost crushed him.”

While Jesus is on his way to heal a sick girl, something happens to cause him to stop and ask a seemingly unusual question. I call this: The Interruption.

A woman was there. We don’t know her name, but we do know:

She was subject to bleeding for years (12).
She had spent all she had on doctors.
No one could heal her.

Presumably, she’s desperate and in FAITH, she comes up behind Jesus (v. 44) and touches the edge of his cloak. IMMEDIATELY her bleeding stops

Here, in v. 45, is where Jesus asks a seemingly unusual question. “Who touched me?” All the disciples deny it and Peter chimes in, “Master the people are crowding around you and pressing against you.” I’m guessing Peter wondered why it even mattered until Jesus replied, which we read in v. 46. “But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that POWER has gone out from me.’”

Power had gone out from Him? We’ll come back to that.

We read in v. 47, “The woman, seeing she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of ALL THE PEOPLE, she told why she had touched him and how she had been INSTANTLY healed.”

That must have been so difficult for her, maybe even embarrassing to share that in front of such a crowd, but what a testimony. How powerful is it that she was instantly healed?

In v. 48 we read Jesus’ response, “Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your FAITH has healed you. Go in peace.”

Earlier we learned that this woman had spent all her money to try to be healed. But it wasn’t her money that healed her…it was her FAITH. She is now freed from her suffering and can go live her life in peace.

FAITH BRINGS PEACE.

At this point in the passage, we return to Jairus. Remember, Jairus was with Jesus because they were on their way to heal Jairus’ daughter.

In v. 49 we read, “While Jesus was still speaking, someone came to him from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ he said. ‘Don’t bother the teacher anymore!’”

In Mark 5:35, it says, “…why bother the teacher anymore?”

As I was reading this, I asked myself, why add this last part, the part about not bothering the teacher anymore? And then it hit me. Because the messenger thought it was too late – that there was nothing Jesus could do.

In V. 50, we have a glimmer of hope as Jesus speaks. “Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just BELIEVE, and she will be healed.’”

One commentator noted, “…in perfect faith there is no fear; the more we fear, the less we believe.”
Matthew Henry

We fast forward to their arrival at Jairus’ house. Jesus didn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother.

Verse 52 tells us, “Meanwhile all the people were wailing and mourning for her. ‘Stop wailing,’ Jesus said. ‘She is not dead but asleep.’”

Why would Jesus make the distinction here? Why would he say that she isn’t dead, but rather asleep? Let’s look at Barnes’ notes:

“Every possible evidence of her death had been given, and he acted on that himself, and conveyed to the people the idea that he raised her ‘from the dead.’ He meant to speak in opposition to their opinions. It is not unlikely that Jairus and the people favored the opinions of the Sadducees, and that ‘they’ understood by her being dead that she had ‘ceased to be,’ and that she would never be raised up again. In opposition to this, the Saviour used the expression ‘she sleepeth;’ affirming mildly both that the ‘body’ was dead, and ‘implying’ that ‘her spirit’ still lived, and that she would be raised up again. A similar mode of speaking occurs in John 11:11 ‘Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.’ The sacred writers often spoke of the pious dead as ‘sleeping,’ 2 Peter 3:4; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6, 1 Corinthians 15:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15. The meaning of this passage, then, is, the maid has not ceased to ‘exist;’ but, though her body is dead, yet her spirit lives, and she sleeps in the hope of the resurrection.

Phew! I had to read that a couple of times. But it really helped shed a little light on that part of the passage for me.

Let’s return to Jairus’ house. Verse 53 tells us how the people responded when Jesus said the girl wasn’t dead. “They laughed at him, knowing she was dead.” In v. 54 we read, “But he took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’” And what happened? “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.” V. 55.

In my last blog post, Awaking Tabitha, I recounted in the Biblical text that when she died, the disciples sent for someone. Who was it?

Peter, that’s right. And after Peter prayed, he said, “Tabitha, get up”, or “Tabitha, arise.” Peter heard Jesus say, “My child get up,” and watched the girl stand up.

Now think about what just happened with Jairus’ daughter in v. 54. Who was in the house with him? Peter! Jesus had modeled for Peter something he would do at a future time. Isn’t that so amazing?!?

In Luke 9, following this passage, Jesus gives the 12 power and authority to drive out all demons and cure diseases and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Jesus literally empowered the 12. Remember when Jesus’ prayed for the disciples in John 17? He prayed for their protection by the power of His name. There is POWER in the name of Jesus. Our God is OMNIPOTENT – All Powerful.

The next time you feel powerless in a situation, remember the God you serve. Remember who lives in you! Remember to reach out to Jesus, in faith.

Let us go be radiant this week, in faith, reflecting the healing power of God.

Category: Power

Beyond the Cross

Faith and Power – Jesus Heals and Restores